Vanishing Son is an American action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four television films in 1994, the full series of 13 episodes debuted in syndication on January 16, 1995. Vanishing Son I, Vanishing Son II, Vanishing Son III, and Vanishing Son IV, were aired on February 28, July 18, July 25, and October 10, 1994, respectively. The series was ground-breaking for the casting of an Asian male in an attractive leading-man role.
Synopsis
Russell Wong starred as Jian-Wa Chang, a musician who escaped from the People's Republic of China after being involved in a protest similar to, and essentially working as a direct stand in, for the historically relevant 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Jian-Wa escapes the subsequent massacre of students by the government. It is at this point the general theme of the show starts, as he and his brother Wago Chang, Chi Muoi Lo who also was involved with the protests, escape to the United States. The story focuses on the two brothers as one pursues the "American Dream" through his music, while the other becomes drawn to a life of organized crime in order to achieve this goal.
Vanishing Son I
Vanishing Son I covers Jian-Wa and Wago's life in China, where Jian-Wa is taught in violin by Teacher Beaton (Rob Cohen) and both Jian-Wa and Wago are trained in martial arts by Sifu Yamou (John Cheung). Both Jian-Wa and Wago participate in political demonstrations with their friend, Lili (Vivian Wu). As a result of getting into an altercation with military guards, their father, Louyung Chang (Kay Tong Lim), tells them to flee or else risk being arrested or killed by the Secret Police. They consequently emigrate to the United States via a fishing boat and are apprehended by a federal Immigration Agent named Estabrook (Paul Butler). After they are brought to a jail in San Bruno, Agent Estabrook uncovers photos of Jian-Wa and Wago in Time and releases them due to the asylum laws. After they attempt to get a series of low-paying odd jobs in and around Los Angeles, Jian-Wa becomes a musician and falls in love with a cellist, Clair Rutledge (Rebecca Gayheart). Wago joins a gang led by Fu Qua Johnson (Marcus Chong), whom the brothers met in jail. As Jian-Wa performs gigs and his relationship with Clair strengthens, Wago rises in the ranks of the criminal underworld. We also find out that Fu Qua's gang is ultimately run by a Vietnamese mobster named "The General" (Haing S. Ngor). Jian-Wa's life with Clair is encroached upon when he senses that Wago is in danger and rushes to protect him in a violent shootout at a Vietnamese tavern. After Wago refuses to flee with him along with police sirens closing in on the tavern, he retreats and returns to Clair. The next morning, she awakens to find she is alone and reads Jian-Wa's letter professing his love for her, yet it is his dedication to his brother that has forced him to leave as he is wanted for questioning by authorities.
Vanishing Son II
In Vanishing Son II, Jian-Wa goes on the road to evade being questioned by the authorities about criminal activities and murders committed by his brother, Wago. Jian-Wa hitchhikes to a gulf community in Louisiana, where he meets a population of Vietnamese fishermen. The community consists of an elderly patriarch (Kim Chan), a quick-tempered young man named Hung (Dustin Nguyen), and his sister, Lanchi (Tamlyn Tomita), whom Jian-Wa is attracted to. A woman named Mai (Ming-Na Wen) lives in the community and falls for Reggie Valmont (Jamie Walters), the son of a local fisherman and Ku Klux Klan member named Mickey Jo (Dean Stockwell). Tensions between the Ku Klux Klan and the Vietnamese community explode in Little Saigon when Hung kills a local white fisherman in self-defense. Jian-Wa is planning to leave again when the Sheriff seeks him out for interrogation after having witnessed the event, but he reconsiders with Lanchi's persuasion. Reggie, who is also a witness, is torn between lying to please the good old boys and following his convictions. Ku Klux Klan members storm the Vietnamese community, and just when Jian-Wa and Hung are about to lose the fight, Wago arrives on the scene and rescues them. Jian-Wa bids farewell to Lanchi and the Vietnamese once the National Guard and police units infiltrate the area and goes to Washington, D.C. for a violin competition. The final scene reunites Wago with the woman he loves, Lili (Vivian Wu), who was thought to have been killed by the Secret Police in China during the riots.